Haunting Nightmares
by The Nightdreamer
Summary: One-shot about Helia's past. Even 10 years after his sister's death, his memories still haunted his nights. Review.


Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club.

Helia turned in his sleep, a frown clearly on his face. He was relieving old memories. Memories he would rather not remember at all.

_The scene began when he was 5._Helia, two twins, about a year younger than Helia, and a girl, clearly older than them, were walking there. Helia looked mostly like how he looked now, with the blue hair and dark blue eyes, but he had more light and happiness, possibly more innocence now. The older girl, possibly his older sister, also had long blue hair that fell in waves past her face. Her emerald eyes were sparkling as she talked to him.

The twins were complaining, one with brown and one with blond hair. They were complaining, clearly, until the girl turned around to them. "Brad! Skylar! Cut it out. You sound like you're kindergarteners. Honestly." Shaking her head, she muttered, "I can't believe I'm related to you."

Helia let out a smile, looking at the twins slouch sulkily, glaring behind their sister's back. "That's not fair, Leiha. What about Helia?"

The sister replied without turning around. "Well, he seems to know a skill that I appreciate. Keeping it zipped when I want you to be quiet. Amazing, isn't it?" Helia and Leiha burst into laughter while the other two scowled. They started to chase the two, but Leiha grabbed the hand of her brother and raced away, before ducking into an alleyway, where the two passed them, still shouting angrily.

As they were hiding, Helia turned to his sister, recalling his parents' words. "Are you sure you're mature?"

Leiha laughed. "Of course not. In this family, you're possibly the only mature one out of all of us. The others were as well; I started out like this. To be honest, if you're unlucky, give you a year or two and you'll be like us. Which is not necessarily a good thing." Helia joined her, also laughing.

_He remembered, when he had asked Leiha why she did such outrageous things, not caring who saw it and how they reacted._

"Helia, I do things because everyone thinks that you do things with your head. But, I think that you listen to your heart." She tapped Helia's chest.

Helia tilted his head. "How?"

Leiha laughed again. "Well, Helia, I don't really know. It is like, when someone tells you to do something, and you think it is wrong. You will go against the order, right?"

Helia nodded. "So you mean we shouldn't listen to orders?"

Leiha laughed again. "By Erebus' name, no! I mean, we should listen to our hearts, and we should do what we know is right. Not what we think is right, what we know is right."

Helia now looked confused and slightly lost, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

"When someone tells you to do something, and you know that it is wrong, don't do it. You will be able to feel it."

"I will?"

She smiled. "Of course you will. Remember: A great leader lives in his heart, not in his head." Helia nodded, standing up and following Leiha back to the castle.

_This was the memory when he was 6. When they revealed that Leiha would be his new mentor, he had nearly shrieked with joy_**.**

Leiha clapped her hands. "Alright, Helia. First, I need to know about your stamina. Let's get started." Helia looked confused, when several hard softballs came flying through the air towards him. He dodged them all, and looked hesitant about the last one, before deciding to roll away.

He turned expectantly towards Leiha. She looked thoughtful. "Hmm ... you know how to react and move fast, a good thing, but you don't know how to defend. Well, we got our work cut out." Smiling again, she led him away.

The next scene was of Leiha and Helia in a music room. Leiha was playing a sweet melody on the piano, which was looked on with amazement by Helia, who was about a month older. She finished, and turned to him. "Well?"

Helia bit his lip. "Well, I like the sound of it, but I don't really like using a piano. It's too...simple, in a way. Something different would be nice." Leiha grinned, and picked up a violin nearby.

"Here. This should be more interesting. However, we will still be going through the basics of music theory, and trying every instrument. We can start with the violin." With that, the scene faded.

_This one was a year later, when he was 7. He was experienced, but still had a lot to learn. And Leiha always made it so that it was easy to him, yet he knew what to do and learned something._

Helia was sitting at a desk, scribbling furiously. He stopped, and bit his lip. Leiha, also older now, looked over his shoulder, pointing something out. "No. You spelled that word wrong. It sounds different." Helia slumped, looking defeated.

"Hey, c'mon, Helia, it's only been a month, and you're already a wonder at this. It took me over a year. Don't expect to get everything in one go." Seeing Helia's are-you-kidding-me face, she laughed. "C'mon. I'll show you a book, and then later, we'll go back to your work, and try to get you to learn the language of the solar planets."

Helia stared at her in disbelief. "It will take forever! Do you know how many planets there are there?!" Leiha's only response was laughing.

"Not that much. They're all pretty much the same. Once you learn the language they use in Solaria, then the rest's gonna be easy. Domino will be different, but still similar."

"Why do you love books so much, Leiha?" Leiha laughed at the question. Her laugh, though it was constantly appearing, always sounded melodically when she did it. "Simple. It gives me the chance to be free. Letting me see the world differently. There are always two sides to every story."

"Dad and Gerald say that reading books only weakens your mind, and feeling is a weakness." Helia looked conflicted.

"Helia, as I said, l everybody has different opinions, based on who they are. Reading books and feeling is not a weakness. To feel is to be human. There was a quote I once read, and one that I always remember. 'Everything that is or was, all began with a dream.' And that, is one quote that I have lived by all my life. And I believe that you should too."

Helia nodded, going back to the bookshelf, and picking out a book.

The next scenes were different. They kept flashing from time to time, jumbled up, but clear to see. One of the showed Helia catching several shooting hard rocks with one hand, while kicking away any softballs that came at him. Leiha was watching this with pride, and, as he finished and looked at her expectantly, she smiled and walked over. "Well done. You've improved."

The next scene was the same length. Helia was playing on the violin, while Leiha was accompanying him on the piano. They finished, and Leiha laughed. "Well done, Helia. We've been learning that song for only an hour and we already got it pinned down! Ha! And mom and dad said we couldn't do it." Helia joined her, laughing as well, but with happiness shining in his eyes.

"Come on. We'll try the flute and cello one. You do the flute first, and later the cello." As Helia nodded, Leiha approached a cello lying nearby, and took out some music onto a stand. Helia joined her, a flute help to his lips. As Leiha started playing, Helia joined in not soon after.

The next scene then flashed before them. Helia was sitting on the roof, throwing pebbles to the sky. His face, usually bright and innocent like, was now dull and weary. It started raining, but he stayed on the roof, before Leiha slipped in beside him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm fine." He didn't face her.

"Could've fooled me." They were both silent as well, until Leiha spoke again. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that mom and dad weren't pleased with what happened, would it?"

Helia then turned to her, troubled clearly in his eyes. "I just go out for one hour. _One_! And they act like I've done a serious crime that can't be fixed. Its not my fault. I just wanted to draw."

"Yeah, they can be pretty strict, can't they?"

"Everything I do. They judge me."

"They want what's best for you."

"But doing what's best for me can't be making my life miserable!" The rain had now soaked the two royalties completely down to their skin. Their hair were dripping wet, hanging limply on their shoulders, and their clothes stuck to them.

"I know, but still. They care about you."

"If they cared about me, they would let me be happy. I just wanted an hour alone, and they act like I've abandoned all of my responsibilities."

"They do care for your happiness." Leiha's tone was understanding.

"Then they would let me be free. All I want every year is to get out of the castle, of all of my duties just for 1 day. 1."

"I know that feeling. And don't yourself judge mom and dad so harshly."

"I'm not judging them. I just want them to understand me." As Leiha opened her mouth to protest, Helia cut it, continuing. "Look, ever since I was born, I was set high expectations, just because Skylar and Brad couldn't. I tried to make them happy, do what they told me to do, and what do I get? More responsibilities. I don't even know them."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is!" He turned to her, his eyes flashing with anger. "We have never said more than 2 words to each other. And if I happen to mess up just one thing, a small thing that doesn't matter, they'll look at me like I disappointed them. Like that concert. One note wrong, and they look like they want to strangle me."

"Hey, cut yourself some slack. That was your first, and you were still learning."

"Yeah? Well tell that to the Queen and King." He spat.

"They're your parents."

"Then tell me why it doesn't feel like it. I have never had a conversation with them. They walk past me like I don't exist. I don't know them. Even Ealdor seems more like home than here. I don't even know their names. I don't think they bothered to learn anything about me. Every year, on my birthday, they ignore it and completely forget about it. They seem more like my King and Queen instead of parents!" Helia somehow, managed to look threatening in the rain without trying.

Leiha smiled sadly. "It's because they can't show favourites. They care about you, but the kingdom is more important."

"Leiha, I don't want to live this life anymore. I just can't." Helia pulled his knees closer to his body, burying his face in it. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm trying to hold the weight of the sky while my hands are being tied. Like I'm alone."

His sister gently consoled him. "You'll always have me."

"You won't leave me, will you?"

"Of course not. It'll take more than a war of all the realms to stop me from leaving you. Remember, I'll always be with you. Always."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He let out a faint smile, turning to her. "Ok, next week is your birthday. Mom and dad don't have anything planned. I'll bring you to Linphea."

"Linphea?" Helia sounded doubtful.

"Sure. No one will recognise us. We'll get in tons of trouble, but it is better than staying here with nothing to do but signing political letters." Helia then nodded, and Leiha grabbed his hand, leading him back to the castle, still sopping wet.

The next scene showed Helia and Leiha putting hoods up, wearing peasant clothes. Helia was wearing a loose green shirt with brown pants, while Leiha was wearing a light blue dress. Helia's eyes widened as he looked around. Leiha laughed and led him to a town, where everyone was laughing and selling things. Leiha bought them two apples, which they munched on as they walked around. "Cool, right?"

Helia nodded. "It's so different from Nyx." The day sped pretty quickly, with the last flashback of the two heading back to Nyx.

"Where were you two?!" The queen shouted at the two. They were in front of her, still dressed in peasant clothes. Helia was clutching onto Leiha tightly, but Leiha stood her ground.

"We were having a day out of the castle."

"Why? You had a concert to go to that was postponed!" The king yelled at the two.

Leiha snarled at the king. "He deserved it. You don't even know what today is!" As the two looked puzzled, Leiha growled. "Today is your youngest son's birthday, you fools!"

"Leiha, you will not speak to us like that!"

"I will speak to you any way I want to!" Then, her face softened as she turned to Helia. "Go back to your room." He nodded, running back to his room. As he fell into his bed, that was only when he let his tears show.

Meanwhile...

"Young lady, you have no right to talk to us like that."

"We don't? Oh, I didn't know that. Maybe it is because of the fact that I never see you!"

"And who gave you permission to sneak off to Linphea?"

"I did. Helia deserved a day where he didn't need to worry about anything. Every year, all your duties are more important than us, or even, your youngest child. You expect to much from him."

"How so?"

"How old is Helia?"

"9."

"He is 7, you fools!"

"Leiha!"

"Don't you go 'Leiha-ing' me! I know how to act. This is for Helia. You know what he told me?" The parents shook their heads. "He told me that he felt like Linphea was more of a home than Nyx. He told me that you don't know him. You haven't spoken two words to him! All of his responsibilities is weighing him down. He deserves to have fun, act like a normal child. Instead, you force him to mature earlier than any other child in this dimension! He feels like he is holding the weight of the sky with his hands tied. Alone! Because you were never there. Never there for him!" With that, she turned and started walking to the door.

"Leiha!" The queen shouted after her, but Leiha didn't turn back. Instead, she continued on, slamming the doors shut.

_Helia remembered this scene fondly. It was one where he learnt a lesson, like all the others, but unlike the others, this one was planted firmly in his mind, when he was 8._

It was right before the battle. "Helia, take care."

"Why? No one cares about me." He growled, before his eyes widened as his sister's accusing look. "I mean, except for you!"

Leiha laughed. "Something Grandfather used to say before he died. Each of us are born for a reason. We have to find those reasons."

"How will we know the reasons?"

"Because your heart will tell you so."

"Have you found your reason for living, Leiha?"

"Maybe. Let's hope I do."

The scene quickly changed, fading to the next.

_Helia never wanted to watch this, but, somehow, he couldn't look away. This was when he was 9, his dreaded age._

The people were running. Running from a menace. A vampire was on the ground, dead, with Helia's dagger plunged through him. A bomb was ticking down, the number quickly sped down from a minute. But, before it went off, Leiha headed to the bomb, closing herself and the bomb in a shield. Helia was down there, watching her, trying to get to her, but someone was stopping him. The best he could do was scream at his sister, scream that she couldn't leave him, she couldn't just forget him. She turned back to him, and, for the last time, looked at those clear blue eyes before they turned around.

"I'm sorry." With that, she closed her eyes, absorbing the blast. The bomb then exploded, and there was nothing else. "Leiha!" Helia's shout echoed through the town.

The smoke cleared, and, on the road, was Leiha. Her bright blue eyes were dulled and glassy, and her body was limp. Blood was trickling out of her mouth, and from her head. But she had a peaceful look on her face.

Helia froze, memories rushing through him. She had made her choice. And he had been forced to accept it. _"Well, Helia, I do things because, everyone thinks that you do things with your head. But, I think that you listen to your heart."_

_"Remember: A great leader lives in his heart, not in his head."_

_"There are always two sides to every story." _

_"To feel is to be human. There was a quote I once read, and one that I always remember. 'Everything that is or was, all began with a dream.' And that is one quote that I have lived by all my life. I believe, that you should too."_

_"You'll always have me." _

_"You won't leave me, will you?" _

_"Of course not. It'll take more than a war of all the realms to stop me from leaving you. Remember, I'll always be with you. Always." _

_"Promise?" _

_"Promise." _

_"Each of us are born for a reason. We have to find those reasons." _

_"Have you found your reason for living, Leiha?" _

_"Maybe. Let's hope I do." _

He simply let the tears leak out. At first, he was angry. She had promised him! She had promised that she wouldn't leave him. She promised! And now, he watched her shroud burning, with everyone looking mournfully at her grave. No one to laugh with him. No one to make him laugh. No one to support him. No one who he could confide in. And, as he read the words on her grave:

Leiha Lydian Aiden,

Age 18

Sister, Daughter, Princess, and Friend.

We shall forever remember you.

Rest in Peace.

He realised something. Something that made him feel like he had been punched. Hard. He realised what this meant. For the first time in his life, he, Helia Julio Aiden, was all alone.

Helia was lying in his bed, looking up. He could hear the voices outside, trying to get him to let them in. Trying to cheer him up. Trying to get him to eat and drink. But he ignored them. He ignored everything. Leiha was the only one who could've done that. And she had left. She was gone. A tear slid down his face unknowingly.

He then heard them leave, and someone come, before he heard his father's voice. "Helia, let us in."

"No." Was his bland reply.

"Helia!"

"No."

There was a heavy sigh, and the queen spoke. "Helia, I know you're upset, but please-"

"You're right I'm upset! Leiha warned you! She warned you all it wouldn't work! She told you why it wouldn't work! But you didn't listen to her! And now, she's gone! She left us!" Then, in a smaller voice, he said, "She left me, and I'm alone." It was for himself, but the queen and king heard it clearly, now finally understanding what Leiha had meant to their young son.

She meant everything to him, like how he meant everything to her. Now, she was gone, and he was all alone. And there was nothing that they could do about it.

**Helia woke up,** breathing heavily, drenched with sweat, looking forward, his eyes cloudy and distant. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, which reminded him even more of his sister, and her signature grin and her bright energetic eyes.

Standing up, he walked to the window, looking out, all his worries, stress and weariness hidden beneath a mask. And while everyone may think he is smiling, he is writhing away in agony underneath. And they can't tell, can they?

His own parents couldn't, only glad when he finally came out, taking his responsibilities. The only one that could ever tell was his older sister. Leiha, the only one that he felt cared for him. But she was gone, and no one, not even Flora, could help him.

Sighing, he headed back to his bed, thankful that Riven didn't wake up. He could feel a faint comforting presence coming from the moon, and the night, but it didn't bring his sister back to him.

Now, all he could do, is live on, still being tortured inside.

* * *

**AN: One-shot about Helia's past. What do you think?**


End file.
